


Alive and Well

by Listenerofshadows



Category: Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Disappearing memories, Gen, Paranoid Robin, The age-old Robin discovers his parents are alive trope, but with a twist!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-15
Updated: 2016-04-15
Packaged: 2018-06-02 12:12:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,230
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6565624
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Listenerofshadows/pseuds/Listenerofshadows
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's hard for Dick to see them alive and well. He wants to scream at them that they should be dead alongside everyone else in his family who had died. But he doesn't want Mom and Dad to be worried about him. He's getting unsure of everything and his brain just hurts from trying to think. What was the last thing he did before waking up in his parent's trailer and finding everything alright? He couldn't remember, no matter how hard he tried.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Alive and Well

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on Fanfiction with the promise of a two-shot. Honestly haven't been able to write a second part to this. Plus this needs some major revising as the last bit was pretty rushed in my opinion. But hopefully you can enjoy what I have to offer :)  
> Original notes:
> 
> This is my take on the Robin-finds-his-parents-are-alive fanfics. One thing that always gets me irritated about them is at the beginning he freaks out and knows something's wrong but then he's suddenly fine with it. I know, it's called being in denial and maybe if my parents were killed and suddenly, they were alive again, I maybe react the same way but still, he's trained by Batman. And as trained by the Batman, you kind of get a sense of paranoia from him. The funny thing about this story is that it was supposed to be a short drabble but it's actually 4,221 words and counting XD Which I'm excited because it's the first thing in a while that I wrote freely and didn't have any writer's block with it. Enough of my rambling though, enjoy the story!  
> Disclaimer: Seriously, you think I own this? -_- I WISH! I don't own any of this :(

Dick woke up to the distinct delicious smell of homemade waffles being made. He kept his eyes closed, listening to his surroundings. Something was definitely wrong. It also smelled like his family's old trailer, which always smelled homey to him. His bed was smaller than the one at his room in Wayne Manor. Likewise, his bedspread wasn't the silky sheets he was used to. Instead he felt the comfort of a quilt--that reminded him of the ones his mother had made.

"Dick, wake up!" Someone nudged him.

Dick opened his eyes to see himself staring at a five year old girl looking back at him. She had auburn hair and blue eyes that looked eerily like his mother's.

"Good morning," Dick said finding his voice, "Who are you?"

The kindergartener laughed.

"I'm your sister, silly!" she yelled, jumping on top of Dick. The girl obviously didn't notice his initial shock.

"Nice to meet you, 'Your Sister Silly'," Dick smirked, tickling the little girl.

"My name's not 'your sister silly', it's Remy!" Remy[1] giggled.

"Alright, your name's Remy then." The ebony forcedly laughed. He had to get to the bottom of this. There was no way that he was in his parents' old trailer; this had to be not real. He knew for a fact that his parents had died and he never had a sister named Remy. He decided his best tactic was to stay calm and play along until he could figure out what was going on.

"What are we having for breakfast, sis?" he questioned, picking up Remy piggyback style.

"Waffles! Mama's making waffles!" the little red-head chirped as she wrapped her arms around Dick's neck. She trusted him; he knew she felt safe in his arms.

The duo finally arrived to the small kitchen where Dick's eyes widened in shock at the sight of his parents. His mother had her back turned away from him, humming as she made breakfast. His father was sitting at their old fold-up table, reading a newspaper. They didn't look like they aged at all. They were the same, old parents that he always knew.

"Good morning you two, did you sleep well?" his mother spun around to face them, dazzlingly smiling at them. His father looks up from his newspaper and grins at the two.

"Mom!" Dick cried out, putting Remy on the ground and rushing towards his mother. He draped his arms around his mother in a tight hug. It was actually her, her perfume scent and everything.

Mary Grayson chuckled as she caressed her son's raven hair, "Are you alright, my little Robin? You seem surprise to see me."

"It's-It's nothing, I just had a bad dream that's all." Dick lied as he let go of his mother and looked up into those blue eyes. He may not have her red hair but he certainly inherited her bright blue eyes.

It's hard for Dick to see them alive and well. He wants to scream at them that they should be dead alongside everyone else in his family who had died. But he doesn't want them to be worried about him. He's getting unsure of everything and his brain just hurts from trying to think. What was the last thing he did before waking up in his parent's trailer and finding everything alright? He couldn't remember, no matter how hard he tried. 

In fact, all memories of him being Robin and living with Bruce were starting to fade away. The only memory that didn't seem to fade away was the memory of his parents dying. As he eats breakfast and jokes with them, he can't help but see the memory in his mind. It's constantly playing in his mind, the snapping of the ropes, his mother's scream and the loud thud that came afterwards. He remembers seeing the gruesome scene of his family, all dead except his Uncle Richard. Even then, his uncle didn't escape their fate lightly. No, his uncle was paralyzed from the neck down and stuck in a coma; he has been for five long years.

Dick was just finishing his plate of waffles and scrambled eggs when the trailer door opens and he sees his Cousin John smirking down at him. His cousin looks different though. He's taller and looks more like a young adult than the young teenager he looked up to. One thing that hasn't changed about him, though, is his mischievous smirk and the family trademark blue eyes.

"Johnny!" Remy lifted her arms in the air, obviously wanting to be picked up by him.

Dick's still trying to figure out where his cousin got the nickname 'Johnny' from when his cousin cackles and obliges the little girl's wish by picking her up. He held onto Remy tight as he spins her in circles. No one knows this, but the cackle that Dick developed for Robin, was actually his cousin's. His cousin was more of an older brother to him than an older cousin. Dick always wanted to do everything John could do. It took him awhile, but Dick managed to get the cackle down pat. He cackled like that, as a remembrance of his cousin John who would laugh like that while doing something mischievous.

"Still insist on calling me that, don't you, Rem?" His cousin finally placed the girl down on the ground.

"Yup!" the girl replied, innocently smiling up at the teenager.

Everyone chuckles at that response.

"So squirt, wanna fly with me? My parents are at the nearest hospital, Mom found out she's expecting this morning and Dad insisted on going to a doctor to make sure everything's right."

"Congratulations! The poor dear, I remember how sick she was when she had you," Mary shook her head in amazement, "I can't believe we might be getting a new Grayson again."

"Me either," Dick said, gulping down the last bits of his food. There's no way he's going to miss a chance to go on the trapeze with his cousin again. "Sure, 'Johnny,' I'd love to go flying with you."

Dick quickly went and washed his dishes. The Flying Graysons loved to refer to their work as flying. Because it's just feels right to them. Every true Grayson's born to fly in the air and they usually feel better in the air rather on the ground like normal people. Dick put on his acrobat uniform and raced out towards the Big Top when he heard someone calling him.

Dick turns to face Remy, who's panting as she catches up to her brother.

"Yes, Remy?" he asked her, ruffling her wild red hair.

"Can I please go fly with you and Johnny?" The five-year-old jumps up and down in excitement.

Dick laughed. She reminded him of himself when he was her age. He always wanted to do everything with John.

"Aren't you only allowed on the trapeze if Mama and Papa are on it, little sister?"

"Yeah, but…" Remy pouts and shoots her blue puppy dog eyes at Dick.

"So this is what it feels like," Dick amused to himself. He felt strongly convinced to tell her yes and nothing else but that. His parents would be upset with him, though, if he lets her go unsupervised by them.

"I'm sorry, baby girl," Dick says, placing his hands on her shoulders, "But they don't like you being up there without supervision. Besides they'll be up there soon enough. Why don't you visit Zitka and give her a treat for me?"

Remy, although still dissatisfied with the decision, brightly smiles at the suggestion. He can tell she loves the elephant just as much as he does. Caught off-guard, he finds himself almost squeezed to death by Remy's hugging. They say that Dick gives big hugs…but Remy gives bigger. He's amazed by this, because she's just a mere five-year-old and she can hug so hard for her small stature.

"Alright, Big Brother, I will. Goodbye!" She let go of her brother and ran off to see Zitka.

"See you later!" Dick smiles after her, giving a small wave.

Dick continues going to the Big Top, greeting other performers as he passes by. His cousin's already there, warming up with a few flips. Dick is finding it really hard not to freak out and order his cousin off the trapeze this instant. On the other hand, Dick is so excited that he can't climb the ladder fast enough. But each step up, his headache seems to get even worse. He starts to hear this loud buzzing noise in his ears. But no one else is affected by this except him. That should be his next clue that something's not right. But he's finding it hard to remember the past four years of his life. He realizes with panic that if he continues to pretend that these illusions of his family are real, he might not ever wake up from this fantasy. The world's not this perfect. There's no way that they managed to survive the fall. But a delusional part of him makes him keep climbing the ladder. There had to be a way to escape this dream, no matter how much he wished he could give in. It would be so easy; to pretend his family was alive and well. That he had a cute little sister named Remy and Aunt Karla was expecting another little Grayson. He just knew that the unborn Grayson would be great friends with Remy and the two would be like him and John.

But that's the problem. It's too easy for this to be all true. If there's anything he knows about life, it's that there's no such thing as easy. It takes hard work to do anything. It took him years to get his quintuple flip right. One of the mottos his father liked to say was "Graysons don't do easy," and his father was correct. The Graysons never had it easy and they never will.

"Hey Dick, are you alright?" John asked, concerned, as he flipped onto the platform that Dick had arrived at. His cousin placed a hand on his shoulder and Dick bit his lips. His cousin's touch felt like a sharp needle was pinching his skin. Reality blurred for a moment and he could see it happening right before his eyes again.

"NOOO! NOT AGAIN!" Dick screamed, collapsing on the platform.

"Dick! Dick, it's alright." his cousin tried comforting him.

Dick violently shook his head. It wasn't right. They just fell in front of his eyes again. But when he looked down on the ground, they weren't there. Instead the safety net was hanging below, ready to catch anyone who would fall.

"I'm-I'm okay now," he murmured, shakily standing up.

"Dick, I don't think—"

"I'm fine!" Dick snapped at him as he took off on the trapeze. He ignored his splintering headache and the buzzing in his ears as he began a simple exercise to warm up with. His cousin joined shortly and before he knew it, he was laughing alongside John despite the pain he was feeling. Just the pleasure and the rush that came on the trapeze was enough for them to laugh about. It had been a long time since Dick laughed a free, joy filled laugh. He remembered how his mother would refer to this type of laughing as his way of singing like a little Robin. Dick wanted this reality to be real so bad. He was absolutely sure that this was real. He felt himself flying through the air and he was working up a sweat from it all. So he stopped trying to look for clues to show that something was wrong and just flew with his heart and soul.

"Robin, is that you?"

Dick nearly froze midair at the sound of the voice in his mind. He knew that voice somewhere, it was familiar and comforting. He just couldn't remember why. The dimmest memory he could get was of meeting a shy, red-haired girl with green skin. In fact, he starting to remember things he knows he doesn't know but somehow, he knows. Like the memory of him holding Remy in his arms for the first time. Although his mind informs it happened, the memory felt so fake. As if it was planted into his mind. All traces that he thought he knew of about the last four years were fading away.

"Why do you call me that? Only my mom calls me that! Who are you? What are you doing in my mind? Are you the one causing my headache?" Dick fired off a rocket of questions at the mysterious voice as he landed onto the platform for a water break. He looked around the Big top but he could not see any red-haired girl with green skin. He could see Wilbur the lion-tamer working on the lions and various other performers training. None look like the girl he can trace the mysterious voice to however.

It's odd, but he can actually feel the voice hesitating to reply in his mind. Like their minds are connected to one another. Considering the girl has green skin, she's obviously a Martian like Martian Manhunter. He has no idea why a Martian would want to associate with him. He's just the average circus performer. What made him so special for her to contact?

"That-That's what I always known you as, Dick."

She gives a big gasp as if she revealed something too important. Dick feebly remembers something about hiding his real name from a few people and she must be one of them. But he isn't sure and the only thing he's sure about is that his headache is getting worse. The mind link he and this girl were sharing was probably causing it to grow worse.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to read further into your mind, you're just like an open book compared to what I'm used to. Batman's going to kill me."

"Don't worry M'gann; it will be our little secret. Although you still haven't answered all of my questions,"

He has no idea why Batman of all people would be upset, but he promises not to tell. The acrobat also doesn't know why he called her M'gann. It just feels right to call her that and he can feel her relax a little from the name. The feeling doesn't last long and he could feel her mentally cringe from something.

"There's no time to explain! I need you to trust me on this and trust me well, I need you to fall."

Now it is Dick's turned to gasp. He looked over at the other platform where John was taking a water break as well. He can see him talking to his parents about something and little Remy waves over at him. Dick waves back, grinning.

"I'm not going to fall just because some voice told me too in my head. My family needs me, M'gann."

Dick tries not to cry. Though almost of all his memories were gone and replaced with new ones, this one that stands out. One that no matter how much he tries to forget about, he can't. It's something that feels so real that he knows it's something that really happened but couldn't possibly happen. Most of his family was just four flips and a hop away and were certainly not dead.

"They're not real, Dick. I know this is hard for you but I must show you something,"

Before he can protest, he finds himself watching a memory as if he was just watching a movie. It starts out normal at first, just another night of performance for the Graysons. Until he realizes that in this memory, he's only nine years old. When he was younger, his parents never let him do the final act. He watches himself patiently wait as the workers below pull off the net. They begin the act as usual except Dick can notice something's wrong with the trapeze.

Suddenly there's a loud snap and a single loud scream as his family falls down to their death. There was a thud when they hit the ground. Little Dick climbs down the ladder and then everything goes quiet. People are frantically leaving, someone's calling the police but all nine-year-old Dick can do is stare at their bodies. A man comes up to him and introduces himself as Bruce Wayne and takes him into his home. The memories flow by as he sees himself find the Batcave and discover Bruce's secret identity as the Batman. Bruce trains him to become his protégé and he helps Dick bring his family to justice. He fights alongside Batman and eventually he finds friends. He sees him being on his first step to the Justice League with the other protégés only to find out they're been tricked. He along with Aqualad and Kid Flash go to Cadmus and free Superboy. They become a team, along with Artemis and M'gann. He then sees many clips of memories of him fighting alongside them. Two other girls, Zatanna and Rocket, eventually join the team and he's left with a last memory of all the couples kissing each other on New Year's Day after a mission.

As quick as the ordeal had happened, he found himself staring a teen girl in a red-and-white circus uniform that he knows is M'gann in disguise.

"How come I can't remember all that happening?" he frantically questioned, staring into her honey brown eyes.

"We were on a mission when you got captured. Your captors placed you under this machine for you to live a perfect life and in the process, retrieve your memories. However, you still have this memories, they're only been repressed. The machine is the thing causing the buzzing in the ears and the headache from them extracting memories forcefully. The only way to bring you out, however, is for you to 'die'," she explained, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Dick knows it's crazy, but he now knows that he has to fall, like M'gann explained. He wishes he could stay here forever, with Remy and everyone, but his other family would worry. All his friends, Bruce and Alfred would be sad and he would be the equivalent of being dead to them. Most of all, he knew that his parents would be disappointed in him for staying here. They would want him to be awake in the real world and to carry on the Grayson name for them.

"Can—can you do it with me?" he whispered out loud.

M'gann gave him a quick hug and the two look down at the ground. The net that was there originally was now gone. Where it had disappeared, Dick didn't know, but perhaps M'gann took it off.

"Ready?"

"As I'll ever be," he whispered. Holding hands, the two fell down together. Time seemed to slow down and he can hear himself screaming. He sees his family over at the other platform watching with horror. They want to do something to save him but they can't which makes him hold onto M'gann's hand tighter. He can feel himself hit the ground with a thud and the circus scene disappears instantly, melting into darkness.

The boy wonder slowly opens his eyes to see a raging battle before him. The teams except him were fighting swarms of thugs. Rocket had a force shield over Miss Martian while Artemis guards both of them. At the sight of both him and Miss M waking up, they start try making their way towards him. When the trio is half way there, Robin hears a loud wail.

"NO! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE ASLEEP! LOCKED UP IN YOUR DREAM REALITY! THE NEEDLE SHOULD HAVE STABLIZED YOU!" an aging grey-haired man said, pointing his finger angrily at Robin.

"So you're the one that trapped me there," Robin lowly growled in an icy tone, glaring murderously at the man. He remembered everything, loud and clear, and for once, he was thankful for it.

"Of course, who else do you think?" the man replied, glaring furiously at Robin. He didn't realize how angry the bird was at the moment and clearly underestimated him.

Robin darkly cackled as he ripped away the machine that had kept him trapped in La-La land. The scientist, understanding now how livid he was, took several steps back. Dick's glad that they left his belt on him as he throws a smoke bomb on the ground, taking the man by surprise. The fight wasn't long, for the man didn't have any experience in fighting, but Robin kept going. He punched and kicked for what seemed forever until a heavy hand was placed onto his shoulder.

He looked up to see Superboy, who looked a little worried about the Boy Wonder. Without saying anything, Robin flung into his arms, crying. The clone was shocked at his behavior but dutifully held on to him as Robin clutched onto his shirt.

The others were quiet as they tied up the crooks and left them for the police. No one mentioned it, but they were scared. Robin was never scared or brutal around them. If Wally was the heart of the group, then Robin was their soul, their rock. Robin was never the one to give up hope despite the odds. M'gann didn't say what she found in Robin's mind but they knew that they almost lost him that day. The scientist told them that whatever reality Robin saw, was a perfect one. It was one that no one would ever want to leave.

Robin fell asleep, crying, in Conner's arms. They were regretting telling Batman what had happened, he would not be happy with them at all. Their ride back to Mount Justice was a short one, but it felt long to everyone. When they arrived at the Cave, everyone tumbled out and walked over to Batman, who was waiting emotionlessly for them.

At the sight of Robin asleep in Conner's arms, he narrowed his eyes at the Team.

"What. Happened?" his voice calmly spit out in a dangerous tone.

"We searched the Cadmus base for any suspicious activity like you wanted," Kaldur reported, stepping forward, "And it seemed unsuspicious. We were just heading back when Robin was captured by some Cadmus guards. We managed to find out where they were keeping him via Miss Martian and found him hooked to a machine."

"We foolishly lead ourselves into a trap because we were so eager to find Rob," Wally added, sadly looking down at his boots. "Then you know how villains are. The head scientist went into this grand speech. He told us the machine was collecting all his memories from the last five years while he was under a dream reality. In the dream reality, everything was perfect for him."

Batman slightly widened his eyes, instantly guessing what was in Robin's perfect reality.

"We quickly came up with a battle plan. We knew we couldn't waste any time leaving Robin left in that reality. M'gann volunteered to go into his mind and bring him out but she could not battle at the same time so Rocket created a force bubble around her to protect her. Artemis defended Rocket while we took out the scientist's minions." Zatanna continued the report.

"I managed to bring him back to reality," M'gann's voice was soft, almost distressed.

"After he woke up, he pulled a Superboy and nearly killed the scientist," Artemis almost shuddered at the memory of him beating up the scientist. It was one of the scariest things she ever seen.

"All I did was place a hand on his shoulder and was about to tell him to stop when he jumped into my arms and cried until he fell asleep," Conner looked down confusedly at the fourteen-year-old.

There was a brief period of silence. There was nothing much more to tell after that. Batman walked up to the clone and carefully lifted Robin out of his arms and into his own. Conner allowed him; Robin was his protégé after all.

"I see," The Dark Knight looked down at the acrobat with a frown. "Everyone shower up and go home. I will decide what penalty will be in a week. In the meantime you will train and learn from your mistakes."

Everyone sullenly nodded and headed to the showers, M'gann was being the last one to go.

"M'gann, a word,"

The Martian turned around and bit her lips nervously, "Yes Batman?"

"What did you see while you were in Robin's mind?"

"I-I saw him interacting with various family members. He looked so happy. His mind was so unguarded in there—Batman I didn't mean to intrude—"

"It's alright, M'gann," Batman's masked eyes seemed soft as he stroke Robin's fine, ebony hair, "All that matters is that you saved him, thank you."

"You're-You're welcome," M'gann choked out as the Dark Knight, Robin in his arms, strode past into the Zeta Beams.

Batman– 02

Robin– B01 

As the two disappeared in a bright light, M'gann gave a faint smile. Although Batman may appear to be dark and emotionless to some, he could be really kind in subtle ways. Dick was fortunate to have Bruce and the latter was fortunate to have him. She only wished that it wasn't tragedy that had brought them together.

**Author's Note:**

> I'd like to point out that I specifically made Remy 5yrs old because she would have been born when Dick was nine (he's 14 in the story) meaning if Mary Grayson had lived then she would have given birth to her. My personal headcanon was that they were waiting until after the show to announce her pregnancy. 
> 
> Original notes:
> 
> 1]: I actually did not come up with the name for his sister. It's actually from a Young Justice fanfic, The Graysons by PrincessBellePrinceAdam which is centered on Dick and Zatanna having a family together. Although her Remy is actually a daughter of Dick and not his fictional younger sister like in my story. I advise reading it and the semi-related story, The Wests.
> 
> There will be one more chapter of this story and it will be focused on the Team (Robin included) trying to get over the mission failure. I'd imagine if something bad happened to Robin they'd all be affected. Robin, to me, is like their rock. He never breaks down or gives up hope (Example: Homefront). And when Robin breaks down, they all do…
> 
> Until next time, please review!


End file.
